Looking Forward with Ikon Pass
Before discussing how we made our decision to ski Ikon this season, let’s talk money.
Mark and I have talked a lot about how much spending detail we’ll include on the blog, and we both feel that transparency on costs matters. This isn’t because we think it’s important that other families spend on skiing the same way we do. Rather, we feel it’s important that others understand how costs factor into our family’s decisions. Knowing what a season pass (or a lift ticket, or a particular lodging option or lesson product) costs helps others better evaluate the value of that product based on their priorities. We’ll always share as much information as we can so that you can make the best decision for you.
So, how did we choose Ikon?
Season Pass Value: We know that our family skis enough every season to make purchasing a season pass worthwhile. Last year, in addition to five weekend ski excursions here in the midwest, we made two trips east to Vermont (Stowe and Okemo) and spent a week in Breckenridge—a total of 51 days skied between the four members of our family at Epic/Vail properties.
This season, based on the time we have available to travel, we plan to ski about 66 total days between us. Given that the cost of our four Ikon passes was $2,636 this season (purchased early for the best value), we’ll spend approximately $40/day for skiing. With one-day lift tickets at resorts like Vail and Deer Valley now running well over $200 and base passes involving blackouts that don’t work for teachers like me, a season pass is the only way to go for us.
New Adventures: Knowing that season passes provide the best value for our family, the question which one was the next hurdle to overcome. Because we live in Chicago, drivable mountains that offer up more than a single day of ski entertainment are hard to come by. For this reason, a multi-mountain season pass is a must for us.
Because the time and cost associated with air travel is a consideration, it’s not unusual for us to ski four or more days per trip to make that expense worthwhile. Passes like Indy and Mountain Collective offer incredible value (and amazing, often lesser known destinations) for many ski families. Unfortunately, because both limit the number of days that a person can ski at their participating resorts, they’re not the best options for us.
Ultimately, ours boiled down to a choice between the big two: Ikon and Epic—and variety was the decider for us. Coming off a season of skiing at Epic (Vail Resorts) properties in 2021-2022, we were eager to visit new places, so Ikon made the most sense. This year, we’re planning:
Four days at Sun Valley (ID) for the whole family
Three days at Killington (VT) at Winter Park (CO)
for the whole family (a January change due to snow conditions)
Three days at Stratton (VT) for the whole family
Three days at Deer Valley (UT) girls trip for mom
Three days at Jackson Hole (WY) boys trip for dad
Five days at Copper/A-Basin (CO) for the whole family
Ikon Season Pass Pricing Caters to Families: While the cost of a full Ikon pass for adults initially seems prohibitively high compared to the competing Epic product, the affordability of kids’ passes closes the gap between Ikon and Epic considerably. Be sure to factor this into your decision making, and, if you’re feeling “equal opportunity” when it comes to destination, be sure to consider your whole family pass cost—not just the cost of one adult pass vs. the other. For our family of four, the total costs of Epic and Ikon season passes were within about $100 of each other, so Ikon won for its new-to-us terrain this year.
